A dog owner got a nasty shock when their four-legged friend discovered a 20cm-long African giant Emperor scorpion while out for a stroll.

The massive creature caught the dog's eye when it scuttled across the pavement in Munich on Saturday evening. On spotting the monster arthropod, the dog owner immediately alerted the emergency services, according to a spokesman for the fire brigade.

Native to the African rainforests, the giant Emperor scorpion is the largest in the world, with an average length of 20 cm. However, it is not usually aggressive and carries only a mild venom, which made catching the specimen all the easier, the spokesman said.

Believed to be an abandoned pet, the animal has found a temporary home with an enthusiast fireman and will later be taken to a reptile animal shelter.